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Clara Andrews (Andrews) Sillars

August 25, 1910 ~ December 22, 2018 (age 108)

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Clara Andrews Sillars, who lived in Hamilton from 1950 until 2006, died at Sea View Retreat in Rowley MA on December 22nd at the age of 108.

Both she and her husband Donald Sillars were born in Danvers MA and graduated from Danvers High School. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston and during WWII worked as a drafter at the United School Machinery Corporation in Beverly. After the war her artistic talents took her into puppetry and beautiful tole painting. She designed the house they built at 96 Rock Maple Avenue in Hamilton. The house sat on 7 acres, much of it swamp, and Clara loved working in her gardens and walking along the horse paths that ran through their property.

Her marionettes and news clippings about her puppet shows are now at the Wenham Museum.

She had no children or siblings. She and Don were close friends with the James and Alice Hall family who moved across the street from them in 1954. The four Hall children spent as much time in the Sillars house as they did in their own home. Don died in 1968, and they remained very close to Clara until her death. She leaves her best friend Christel Rogers of Newburyport MA, Nancy Hall Burkett of Atlanta, Barbara Hall Schwartze of Stuttgart Germany, James Hall of Arlington MA, and David Hall of New York City and Madison WI.

Services and burial will be private and are under the direction of the Twomey, LeBlanc, & Conte Funeral Home 193 High St. Newburyport, MA 01950.